One week after the New England Patriots took care of business on Thursday Night Football, the Buffalo Bills failed to do the same. The team of head coach Sean McDermott suffered a 23-19 defeat at the hands of the Houston Texans, dropping to 7-4 on the season.

For New England, this is welcome news. The Bills are their only true competition for the AFC East title this year, and they now find themselves two full games behind a 9-2 Patriots team that also holds the head-to-head tiebreaker between the two division rivals.

As a result, the Patriots are now given...

Josh McDaniels is one of the most accomplished coordinators in pro football history, and as knowledgable an offensive coach as any in the NFL today. On Thursday, the 49-year-old shared some of his wisdom.

Meeting with reporters in the Gillette Stadium media workroom, McDaniels spoke about the art of play-calling and the challenges a coordinator such as himself can face during games.

“Sometimes it’s what you don’t call that’s probably as important as what you do call,” he said, “and having enough confidence in yourself and your staff and your team in the middle of the first or second quarter...

The New England Patriots have secured their first winning season in four years, now it’s about locking up a playoff spot and the best possible seed in the AFC. In order to achieve those goals, a win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday is a must.

However, the other 13 games to be played this weekend also are worth keeping an eye on. So, here is who you should be rooting for in the non-Patriots matchups between on Thursday, Sunday and Monday.

Thursday

8:15 p.m. ET

Buffalo Bills (7-3) at Houston Texans (5-5): Go Texans! The Patriots have...

The New England Patriots haven’t shown much weakness throughout an eight-game winning streak, but the defense may have to address one area to launch a fruitful playoff run.

ESPN’s “NFL Live” panel scrutinized some potential flaws that could block New England’s path back to the Super Bowl. Mina Kimes worried about how the pass rush may affect the team’s secondary.

“For me, it would be the pass defense,” Kimes said on Tuesday. “I think there’s a couple of things that are making life harder for these cornerbacks, one of which is the absence of pressure.”

Kimes noted that the Patriots...

Dameon Pierce looked like one of the league’s more impressive running backs during his rookie season with the Houston Texans. Turns out, however, things went downhill even faster than he could.

Pierce reportedly was waived by the Texans on Thursday in the final year of his rookie contract. A fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Pierce was a healthy scratch in five games this season. He can now be claimed off waivers, or if he clears, can sign with any team as an unrestricted free agent.

Could Pierce make sense for the Patriots? New England has dealt with some...

The New England Patriots headed back to the practice fields with perfect 53-man roster attendance.

Running back Rhamondre Stevenson marked the lone limited participant during Thursday’s work in Foxborough. Ten others went in full as the Cincinnati Bengals matchup nears with movement under center.

Here’s the second injury report leading up to Sunday’s 1 p.m. ET kickoff at Paycor Stadium.

DID NOT PARTICIPATE

Patriots

• No players listed

Bengals

• RB Samaje Perine (ankle)
• DE Trey Hendrickson (hip, pelvis)
• DE Cam Sample (oblique)
• CB Cam Taylor-Britt (foot)

Coming out of the mini bye, the...

The New England Patriots do not know which of the Cincinnati Bengals’ quarterbacks they will be facing this Sunday, but they are making sure to be ready either way.

According to acting defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr, the team is “preparing for both” Joe Burrow and Joe Flacco ahead of Week 12.

“Flacco is a great quarterback, that’s why he’s been doing it for so long. And then Burrow, a great quarterback,” Kuhr said about the two passers. “Somewhat similar styles how they operate. Obviously, they have some different physical features to them.”

The Bengals entered the 2025 season with Burrow...

Cam Newton has been putting his name in the news cycle this week with comments he’s made about the New England Patriots.

It started with a simple declaration that this year’s Patriots team was “fool’s gold.”

Drake Maye was asked about the former Patriots quarterback’s remarks during a WEEI radio spot earlier this week. Maye responded with a now-viral claim that he had not heard Newton’s criticism and wouldn’t know where to find Newton on the air.

While Newton’s “First Take” coworkers accused Maye of being a liar, he doubled down on the fool’s gold remarks.

“If you keep playing...

Positive momentum seems to be building behind Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson.

Stevenson, who missed three consecutive games with a toe injury, has been back on the practice field ahead of New England’s Week 12 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. Stevenson was limited Thursday for the second straight practice, and the Patriot limited.

However, those in attendance view Stevenson’s session as a solid one.

“He was out there running around, and looked like himself running around,” Patriots running backs coach Tony Dews told the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan. “So, we’ll see what it looks like tomorrow (Friday).”

Patriots head coach...

Josh McDaniels deflected effusive praise from Stefon Diggs.

The veteran wide receiver commended McDaniels’ acumen on Wednesday, telling reporters that he’s still learning under the New England Patriots offensive coordinator.

“He’s taught me a lot since I’ve been here,” Diggs said. “Even in my 11th year of playing football… His approach to the game, he’s a little bit of a genius.”

Asked about Diggs’ comments on Thursday, per CLNS Media, McDaniels wouldn’t accept the “genius” label.

“That’s kind of him,” McDaniels said. “It’s untrue, but it’s kind.”

McDaniels turned the tables to compliment Diggs, who leads the Patriots with 659...

The New England Patriots look like they will be contending with Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow on Sunday, after all…

Burrow is currently sitting on injured reserve due to a toe injury that he suffered on Sept. 14 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but returned to practice last week and is eligible to be activated at any point — though many have stated his return to practice was to set up a return to game action on Nov. 27 against the Baltimore Ravens.

Burrow has a different timeline in mind, however, as he took first-team reps at practice on Thursday, according...

Cam Newton isn’t backing down from his New England Patriots skepticism.

The former Patriots quarterback received attention for calling New England “fool’s gold” on ESPN’s “First Take” last Friday. Newton cited the team’s favorable schedule to claim that the team has “one-and-done written all over it” this postseason.

Those comments have permeated across the sports news cycle this week, and Drake Maye’s dismissive response appeared to strike a nerve when the debate show rehashed the topic.

During Thursday’s “First Take” at Bethune-Cookman University, Newton insinuated that his comments got taken out of context before doubling down on his original declaration....